by Louise Mulock ’25

Nina Friedman eagerly awaits her pilot's license at the end of May, and expects to attend the Florida Institute of Technology in the fall.

With spring dwindling to an end, and summer quickly approaching, our seniors here at Gunston are drawing near to their last few weeks of high school. While most are undoubtedly going to pursue impressive goals when they start their higher education in the fall, Nina Friedman has already started! Growing up flying to exciting places, which include the Turks and Caicos islands and visiting her dad, Nina has always loved flying above the clouds and taking in the views. When asked why she was first interested in becoming a pilot, Nina responds, “In the summer of my upcoming junior year as a birthday gift, my mom's boyfriend bought me a ‘sight-seeing’ tour at the Easton airport. I sat in the co-pilot seat and I was given an opportunity to fly. I immediately loved it and a few months later I set up lessons at Trident Aircraft.”

Even starting her training at a young age, Nina hasn’t been without setbacks which include juggling her current school workload and issues with weather. But despite it all, she eagerly anticipates gaining her recreational pilot’s license near the end of May, and a place waiting for her at the Florida Institute of Technology to study to become a commercial pilot! 

Inspiration can come from anything and anyone, and for Nina, this includes her former instructor, Luke Howser, who has pushed her to be the very best pilot she can be. Her biggest supporter, being her mother's boyfriend, JB (James) Spear, has been with her since she started the process of getting her license. Clearly, it’s safe to say that the entire Gunston community is rooting for Nina Freidman, as she works hard to achieve her dream to fly off into the sunset.